The Transall Saga

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Transall Character Table”

In this activity, students will create a table of the characters Mark encounters during his time on Transall and use the text to explore detailed descriptions and draw comparisons.

• Using large poster paper or space on a whiteboard, create a table for characters and their traits.
• Each row of the table should contain a different character.
• Column headers should include:

o First appearance of the specific character

o Tribe they belong to and role in their society

o Relationship to Mark, and if and how this relationship changes

o Important quotes spoken by or about the specific character

o Extra notes comparing characters (like Mark and the Merkon being foils) and their fates (as implied in the novel)

• Gather information about each character’s appearance, personality, role in society, and development as a character and add to the table.

Compare your results with those of other classmates. How do they compare? What new information surfaced in the creation of the character tables? What conclusions can you draw about Mark’s relationships over the course of his experiences? Address these questions in your notes or reading journal and discuss as a class.

Teaching Suggestion: Construct one row of the table on a whiteboard or projector with student feedback to illustrate the process to students. A minor character like Willie the monkey-bear could be used as an example.

Differentiation Suggestions: Students may benefit from completing this activity in groups. Furthermore, instead of a table layout, different groups can be allocated different characters to study before presenting their work to the class. Information can be summarized on poster paper or a digital document, and incorporate illustrations of characters if desired.